HOLIDAY FEATURE Serving food that conjures up memories of Sukkot from the past

NEW YORK, Aug. 1 (JTA) — I can still picture the loosely constructed hut built behind my synagogue in New Rochelle, N.Y., every Sukkot. During my childhood, I’d reach for eggplants, red peppers and apples pinned to interior walls and hanging from branches entwined in its roof. I inhaled the scent of autumn air and fresh produce. With frost on the pumpkins, the scene signified the harvest in a way that Thanksgiving never could, because this flimsy hut with its dangling fruit enveloped me in nature. Each year, women form the temple sisterhood swarmed around a buffet on picnic tables, fretting as steam rose off casseroles fresh from the oven. “Eat quickly, eat quickly,” they’d say, hoping that everyone would get a hot meal. But their efforts were useless on those chilly nights. Yet I loved sharing tepid food within those produce-covered walls, which combined an atmosphere of hospitality and camping out. In contrast to formal dinners during the Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot was joyful and user-friendly. As a child in the 1950s, I was confused between the words Sukkot, the holiday, and sukkah, or hut, which is covered by weaving cuttings of evergreens and leafy shoots through a lattice. The rabbi once explained that these branches should be thick enough to afford shade, but sparse enough for stars to shine through at night. Back then, I always checked to make sure they did. Now facing a new millennium, Sukkot steadfastly cleaves to its agrarian roots. When the ancient Israelites lived in Canaan, Sukkot was a gathering festival. At the time, the Israelites flocked to Jerusalem, offering grains, fruit, olive oil, wine, and animals to the Temple. During the festival, they dwelled in hastily assembled huts, the precursor of the modern sukkah. Today, few of us gather crops, but many people build huts in their backyards. In New York City, where vertical living prevails, enterprising Jews sometimes erect a sukkah on apartment terraces or building rooftops. “The elevation brings us closer to the stars,” says a Brooklyn mother of two about her roof- garden sukkah. Apartment dwellers in Los Angeles are known to place huts on fire escapes, even though they are violating fire codes. Aware of this practice — and the holiday — the police department issues these people a summons, requesting that the hut be removed in eight days. Wherever the sukkah is located, the point is to invite family and friends to partake in as many outdoor meals as possible during the weeklong holiday. People lacking lawns or construction skills can participate in festivities at many synagogues, where volunteers frame and decorate a sukkah. On the holiday’s first night, congregations often hold potluck dinners for their membership. Yet concern over keeping food hot outdoors still prevails. “At our annual Sukkot dinner, I bake a noodle pudding at home, pulling it from the oven and rushing straight to temple,” says a resident of Manhattan, relieved that she lives nearby. To avoid transporting bubbling casseroles or competing for limited space in synagogue ovens, it is wise to simplify at Sukkot. Think of the holiday as a large-scale picnic. Because carrying food outdoors takes effort, the menu should be selected with care. Although Sukkot falls early this year, piping hot food cools quickly on September nights. Therefore, the most practical dishes for Sukkot are prepared in advance, easily assembled and served at room temperature. The make-ahead menu below features lamb, romaine lettuce, squash, and dried fruit, which hearken back to harvest festivals from ancient Israel. Because cucumbers and grains are also traditional at Sukkot, your dinner could include a selection of pickles and multigrain breads. Paper plates and plastic silverware are acceptable at large gatherings. Roll napkins around silverware, tying them with vines of English ivy. To underscore the holiday’s informality, cover the buffet surface with a patchwork of contrasting tablecloths. Create seasonal centerpieces by filling wicker baskets with plums, apples, pears, and autumn leaves, sprinkling dates and shelled walnuts on top. Wrap colorful ribbons around basket handles, letting ends flutter on tables. With its harvest theme, this holiday symbolizes a horn of plenty. Because it revolves around an autumn buffet al fresco, save gourmet dishes for the dining room. At the Sukkot table, let warm feelings flow — but hold the hot food.

(Recipes yield 8-10 servings)
ROAST LEG OF LAMB
1 eight-pound leg of lamb
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
No-stick vegetable spray

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut small slits in lamb and insert garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Coat roasting pan and rack with no-stick spray. Place lamb on rack and insert meat thermometer according to package directions. Roast uncovered for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until thermometer indicates lamb is done.
4. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand for 30 minutes. Slice thin.

CARROT-RAISIN SALAD

1 head of Romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
6 carrots sliced
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup seasoned croutons
3/4 cup vinaigrette salad dressing

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss.

ROASTED VEGETABLE MEDLEY

No-stick vegetable spray
4 medium eggplants, peeled
6 tomatoes
4 zucchini
4 large onions
Olive oil
Salt to taste

1. Spray two 9-by-13 inch oven-proof casseroles with vegetable spray.
2. Slice eggplants, tomatoes and zucchini into thin rounds. Slice onions into thin rings.
3. Starting with onions, arrange vegetables in layers in both casseroles. Drizzle olive oil over each layer and season with salt.
4. Roast vegetables at 300 degrees, stirring every 20 minutes. Roast for three hours or until vegetables are light brown.
5. Because vegetables shrink, combine them in one dish. Serve warm or at room temperature. Recipe can be made three days ahead.

DRIED FRUIT SALAD

2 jasmine tea bags
4 cups of mixed dried fruits (any combination of pears, peaches, prunes, figs, dates or apples — plus raisins and apricots, which are mandatory).
1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup honey
1 vanilla bean
2 tbsp. amaretto

1. Steep tea bags in 2 cups of boiling water.
2. Place fruit, nuts, honey and vanilla in a large bowl.
3. Cover with hot tea.
4. When cool, add amaretto and stir.
5. Set over night in the refrigerator. The liquid will turn amber.
6. Bring to room temperature. Remove vanilla. Transfer fruit to a crystal bowl and gently mix. Serve with cookies and sliced cake.